The Business of Time Travel Tourism

Chapter 29: In The Absence of Light

July 2, 2014. Wednesday.

After getting the directions from George and buying a map, Max and Zoop headed for the mansion to see the place where the evil lurks. They passed the abandoned city blocks, the forest, the overgrown fields and after an hour of walking, kneeled on the hill in front of the mansion.

Shadows of clouds raced through the fields below. The wind blew in gusts, creating waves on the tall grass which stretched as far as the eyes could see. The merciless sun no longer baked the inhabitants of Crossroad state. It was hot, yet much more bearable than it had been yesterday or a few weeks ago.

Max picked up the binoculars hanging on his neck. Staring at the mansion, he spit, "Damn."

The place was much more fortified than George had mentioned. There were at least fifty men in black suits patrolling the garden. Additional cameras were installed on the fence, making the wall unapproachable without being noticed. A tank with a huge cannon parked inside guarded the gate. A group of little shiny men were sitting on it, looking at the cannon turning in circles above their heads.

"Zo Max, what do you think?" Zoop asked.

"I think we need more manpower." Max brushed the mustache on his worried face and gave the binoculars to Zoop.

When the scientist lifted the tool to the level of his eyes, he let out a short "Whaaaa—" Then, all stoned, he fell on his back. After shaking the excitement away and getting back to his knees, he said, "Impozzible. I don't know how thiz thing does thiz, but itz amazing."

"The device is called binoculars. Check your friends sitting on the tank, the big metal machine with a long straw."

Zoop narrowed his eyes and did as instructed.

Inside the strange device, half to his waist stood Gango. His eleven pawns sat below him. Their shiny vests reflected the bright light whenever the sun pierced the clouds, temporary turning them into tiny lightbulbs.

"Turn the wheel in the center so you can see more."

"I will reinvent this thing after I reinvent George's chair," Zoop said as he turned the wheel.

Max was not sure if it was him or some higher power who Zoop was talking to when the scientist started mumbling about the binoculars, about their magic, about the respect people should be giving for the inventor of the device. He rambled about the fact that he was an inventor too, about the respect he possessed in Kakamaqua. Zoop belonged to the third generation of the family, which carried the torch of science. Zoop's brother invented food dishes and advised the queen while Zoop invented and re-invented many devices. His largest and greatest success so far was the dissection of the microwave he brought from the shopping mall and creation of its copies. There were already five microwave heaters in Wollmint when Zoop returned here.

"The hell..." Max said, took binoculars out of Zoop's hands and looked through them himself.

"Hmph?"

"See that point moving down the road towards the mansion?" Max pointed at the road leading to the mansion.

"Yeah, there is zomething."

"It's a dirty, filthy, bearded tramp. And what the hell is he doing there on this time of day? Oh..." Disgusted, Max looked away. The bum stopped by the entrance and turned to one of the columns to draw a large wet picture. A camera stared directly at the beggar from above. "Sure, why not," Max murmured. "If you feel like it, why hold it."

The gate opened up. Two men ran outside and brought the tramp in. He was taken to the mansion's entrance, where he had a short, but passionate conversation with a small man wearing a summer shirt. It included spitting on clothes and into the faces. The tramp moved and kicked, and when two additional guards grabbed him, he did not have enough muscle to resist their submission. He was forcefully brought into the house.